Gay Camberwell

by Layla

It was with great frustration that we accessed the Camberwell Online Blog from a remote Transylvanian village and read about one of the most anticipated events of Camberwell, the opening of the South London Gallery extension... and most excitingly, of the cafe, Number Sixty Seven. And so we zoomed down as soon as we could to suss it out.

My goodness, that cafe may be the best thing that's happened in Camberwell (since the creation of Gay Camberwell, of course). Frankly, it is excellent. And turns a visit to the SLG into a real event. Accessible either directly from the street, or by a path leading through a garden from the main gallery, it is stylish, modern, sleek, and inviting. It has four different seating areas. First there's an outside seating area in the patio facing Peckham Road, a sunny spot and more pleasant than it sounds, filled with arty gay boys lounging artily over cappucinos. Going inside, there's a sophisticated dark wood section with cushioned benches and chairs - it feels arty and looks good. Then you hit the counter for ordering food and drink. Blackboards announce a range of food and drink (we didn't spot any alcohol, alas) and they have an interesting, tempting range of both. Meringues and cake loomed temptingly on the counter, and a large bowl of salad looked so delicious that I immediately ordered it. 

Going further into the building hits the third cafe space, a bright, partially glass room with a very high ceiling and one long, elegant 14-seater wooden table around which groups of people were enjoying their lunches. 

Proceeding through that room's folding glass doors, we reached the back patio where we settled, with views of the garden in one direction, and adjacent blocks of flats in the other. It gave a real sense of place. A great mix of utilitarianist starkness and pleasing design details. 

And so to the food. I had a barley, blue cheese and artichoke salad, with delicious fresh baby tomatoes. It was excellent, if rather blue cheesey... And a fair portion for £7. Roz opted for a mezze platter of hoummous, tzaziki and such, which she declared similarly pleasing, and fair for £5.50. For dessert, I had the best Eton Mess I have ever had. I have been dreaming about it ever since. Roz had a slice of quirky but tasty courgette cake (think carrot cake, but greener). The coffee was also very good. We were very impressed. Loved the ambience too - what a fantastic addition to Camberwell. It's open Tue-Sun 10-6:30, and late on a Wednesday til 9pm. (The art was interesting too... mostly text-based, which was interesting, and the new spaces which are essentially rooms of a typical Peckham Road flat make the SLG far more versatile).

As if sampling one Camberwell establishment was not enough for one day, we decided to dine at The Tiger. We've been hearing mixed reviews about their food, but were pleasantly surprised. I had a tomato tart with rocket salad. The tart was tasty and moist, though there was slightly too much pastry involved - not the best option for dieters. Roz had the red pepper stuffed with cous cous which was delicious. £6.95 for each meal, which is very fair. And a lovely atmosphere as usual in The Tiger, which seems to have become gayer in our absence - we watched a sweet scene where a gay boy was sitting alone and a man came up and gave him his number. Then the sitting boy's boyfriend came in, the first boy showed him the number, and they giggled together. On leaving, we encountered a second gay male couple sitting outside, who could only be described as canoodling on Camberwell Green. All very sweet - hooray for the Tiger. If only they served their wine in wine glasses though...

After that day of eating, it was off to Brixton Ritzy to see the brilliant French rom com Heartbreaker. Highly recommended, even if not at all gay!